Yu-Gi-Oh! has been a massive success since the manga series started in September 1996, soon spawning a media franchise that has included a number of spinoff series, a trading card game, and many acclaimed video games as well. The property has been featured on almost every major platform in some capacity – from the PlayStation 4 to the Xbox One to the Nintendo Switch and more – and there have been 56 games released in total.
With so many titles to choose from, it's quite a tall task to try and rank the best Yu-Gi-Oh! games to date. Nevertheless, using Metacritic as a source, it quickly becomes easy to see which games have been the most acclaimed by both critics and fans over the years.
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's World Championship 2010: Reverse Of Arcadia
Released in 2010 for the Nintendo DS, Reverse of Arcadia gave players access to over 3,200 new Yu-Gi-Oh! cards – including those from the Absolute Powerforce series – and allowed them to compete against friends or other players worldwide over Wi-Fi.
Critics and fans reacted well to the game's expansion of the Yu-Gi-Oh! world, and it earned a 72 on Metacritic and an 8.5 User Score, with many particularly praising the depth of the new card decks.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Ultimate Masters: World Championship Tournament 2006
When Yu-Gi-Oh! Ultimate Masters: World Championship Tournament 2006 was released for the Game Boy Advance that year, it featured the most cards in any Yu-Gi-Oh! game to date, with over 2,000 to choose from.
At the time, critics and fans certainly responded favorably, impressed by the game's ability to contain every Yu-Gi-Oh! card made in English at that point, awarding it a 73 on Metacritic and a 8.0 User Score.
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Stardust Accelerator: World Championship 2009
Yu-Gi-Oh's 5D Stardust Accelerator: World Championship 2009 was notable for featuring up to 2,800 playable cards at the time of its release on the Nintendo DS, but it also impressed by featuring multiple gameplay modes. These included a Story Mode, where players could travel from Satellite to Neo Domino City and duel with several other Yu-Gi-Oh! characters.
The world-building in the game was wondrously well-received, with critics giving the game a 73 on Metacritic, while fans too appreciated the surplus of settings they could now adventure through, awarding it a 7.7 User Score.
Yu-Gi-Oh!'s 5D's Wheelie Breakers
Released for the Wii in 2009, Yu-Gi-Oh!'s 5D's Wheelie Breakers was based on the "Riding Duel" from the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's animated series, making a new motor sport that combined card dueling with duel wheel racing.
This innovative interpretation of a racing game earned plaudits from critics and fans alike, with the former group giving it a 73 on Metacritic and the latter group scoring it a solid 7.5.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Nightmare Troubadour
Yu-Gi-Oh! Nightmare Troubadour – released on the Nintendo DS in 2005 – was notable for utilizing the unique features of the DS unlike any game in the franchise before. It showcased action on both of the console's screens, with Yu-Gi-Oh! monsters rising to battle on the top screen as the bottom presented the card playing field.
This distinctive design impressed players across the world, and the game remains one of the most acclaimed titles in the series so far, garnering a 73 on Metacritic and an 8.1 User Score.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy Of The Duelist
Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist may be one of the more recent games to be produced for the property, but it hasn't taken long for many fans to make it a favorite, with players appreciating the opportunity to partake in a program that simulated the best Duels across all of Yu-Gi-Oh! history.
Critics believed the game balanced the familiar elements of the franchise with fresh new additions, awarding it a 75 on Metacritic, while fans felt the same, giving it a 7.5 User Score since its debut in 2015.
Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2007
For the first time, the Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship Tournament series made its debut on the Nintendo DS in the form of Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2007, and fans were instantly enamored with the results and the possibilities of worldwide wireless dueling over Wi-Fi.
Many critics stated that the video game was so strong that it could rival – and perhaps even surpass – the original card game, giving it a 76 on Metacritic. Fans appreciated the series' advancement as well, as evidenced by their 7.7 User score.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy Of The Duelist: Link Evolution
If fans felt that Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist was fun, they hadn't seen anything yet, as when an upgraded version titled Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution was released just four years later, it somehow managed to take the series to even higher heights.
With over 9,000 Yu-Gi-Oh! cards and an endless array of opponents from almost all of the franchise's spinoffs, Link Evolution earned the praise of players everywhere, reflected by its 7.8 User Score. Critics couldn't get enough either, awarding it a 79 on Metacritic.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links
Yu-Gi-Oh entered the mobile gaming space for the first time with Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links, and the action-packed PvP card game was an instant hit, allowing players to duel with others around the world and on the go like never before, with a huge cast of characters from Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, and Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's.
Critics maintain that it's a standout title in the series to date, praising the creative card games and beautifully designed multiplayer battles and giving it an 80 on Metacritic. Fans were equally impressed, awarding it with a 7.4 User Score.
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Eternal Duelist Soul
Though it released almost two decades ago, 2002's Yu-Gi-Oh! The Eternal Duelist Soul remains the best video game in the entire franchise, notable for having the most accurate and advanced version of Duel Monsters in the Yu-Gi-Oh! series and for giving players the opportunity to import cards from the official trading card game to boost their decks in-game.
Critics said this game was the best approximation of the card game yet, singing the praises of its duel designs and showing their support with an 81 on Metacritic. Fans absolutely agreed, giving it a 8.5 User Score.